The rants of an antsy girl

07/02/2020

Friday

I keep pacing the house.
My Dad slept outside  air, she keeps announcing the new shows on the TV.
She is wary, though two security guys are on shift.
'Call Daddy,' I say suddenly.
'Why? Why call your father?'
I hesitate for a while. Then I remember the call, I remember Suby, I remember Zita lying in the hospital like roasted meat.
'Call him.' I say firmly.
He sounds overly determined when he picks the call.
'Urowoli,'
'Its me daddy.'
'Joan? Why are you calling me?' I take a deep breath.
'Daddy, have all the men given their statements? Have they been questioned?'
'Yes. Why all these stupid questions?'
'Daddy, put Suby on if he's there, call a police officer and record this call.'
'Record? I cannot do that, I don't even know how to pick a call!'
I exhale in frustration. 'Just tap the microphone icon on the screen now. It'll start recording.'
He grunts for a while, shouts some orders, a few background ruffling like the sound of snack wrappers.
'You better have something worthwhile to say.'
I hear scraping of chairs and I wait a while for it to stop before I talk.
'Suby,'
My mother is looking at me wide-eyed.
'Joan madam.'
'Did you give in the report about Damian?'
'Damian? Which Damian?' He asks in uncertainty.
He's asking who Damian is?
'Your friend with the embarrassing scars. Did you mention his strange visit to the officers?'
'He did not!' my Dad replies, he sounds like his annoyance is rising.
'But–' He started.
'This happened shortly after the fire. Daddy, Suby is hiding something. He hasn't made an honest statement, I don't know what he has told you.'
'I swear, I swear on the honor of my family and ancestor! Everything I talk is truth! I talk everything truth–'
'Did you say the entire truth?' comes an unfamiliar voice.
'I no fit to do this kin thing! I'm not a lying!'
'Suby, who is this man my daughter speaks of?' my dad asks warningly.
My heart swells a bit. He said, my daughter.
'Ahh! Oga Phillip, don't ask me that one! E heavy for my mouth.' Suby sobs.
'Suby! I will order my men to give you a merciless thrashing.'
I picture Suby kneeling, his sobs deepen.
' Abeg sir! Don't ask me! The people, the people! Oooo...' he trails. His tears are so desperate, so eager for vindication.
I'm sorry Suby, I just wanted to do the right thing
'I'll call you later, Joan.'
I am scared. I am scared especially as I since the glorious mystery texter, called me. His words were terrible.
He, he's a he, asked me to stop my Dad from his planned trip to Ondo.
He spoke in many riddles and at last he promised me a life in a sardine can if I made the wrong move. I don't know what that means, but great, I have half a life to live.
‘I have a lot of eyes,' He started to say. He had a certain taciturnity to his voice, like he would rather do other things than to call me. Chilling.
'Sir,' I said, perhaps showing him that I respect him, I truly respect him, he would soften towards me, his voice would stop terrifying. For some reason, the voice sounded eerily familiar, one that stirred up some kind of unease, deep somewhere.
'Who are you?'
He cackled, it ended as quickly as it started.
'I hate young girls. They have cotton swabs for brains,' He spat. 'Pathetic!'
'You might try as you might, trace this call, try to guess this voice... You'll only fatigue your deformed brain. Anyways, I decided, no, I had done that since. I called because texts won't work this time.'
My heart seemed to have been clutched by a cold hand, so cold it was almost electric.
'I want you to stop your father from travelling.'
'I can't.'
'That is not of any damn concern to me.' It's strange, he sounds so angry and so collected all in one.
'You do not have any choices though. If he doesn't need this great wisdom I have proffered.' A lax chuckle.
'What will happen if I don't?'
'Sweet! I love that question you just asked. For a moment, I almost thought you weren't as dumb as I hoped, but sadly, you are dumb and nothing can be done about that.' He sighed sadly.
'If you fail, or he fails to heed you, he will end up like that roasted meat that lays in the hospital. Mind you, don't assume I had a hand in that.'
'How... How...'
'How can you be sure I am not sending empty threats?'
He must also be a seer of some sort.
'... Well... Yes,'
'Go into your brother's room, open his wardrobe. Inside his blue Nike shoebox, and on the walls on the inside of the wardrobe, I have decorated it, a lavish taste I have. When you see this, you will know what I have to surprise your father if he's disobedient. I hope you are not too dumb to recognize certain things.'
I swallowed.
'One more thing, I don't think the mystery texter, as you have tagged me is suitable. It demeans me. Now... Peace out.' it clicked dead.
My heart was drumming furiously against my chest. Who was this? I wanted to know, I still want to.
When I got into Destiny's musky scented room, situated at the end of the hallway, I hesitated before I opened the wardrobe.
Sometimes, some kind of things no matter how much you've seen them on TV, will be too heavy for your eyes and you will cry and wallow in vain to unsee it.
I felt that way when I saw it. In the shoebox, on the walls, in the pockets of the jackets my mother got for Destiny.
A text came in then, just as the fear was eating away at my skin, crawling underneath it, causing goosebumps.